Page 29 of Kings & Corruption

But his voice was gruff, his eyes warm and concerned, and right then? Well, right then, all I wanted was to be held.

I let him pull me to the ground and he laid back on the grass and nestled me into the crook of his arm so that my head was against his chest.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on my head. I was stiff in his arms, still debating the merit of letting Oscar fucking Drago comfort me. He chuckled, and the vibration of it moved through my stomach like an earthquake, setting all kinds of things on fire along the way. “Relax, tiger. I won’t bite… unless you want me to.”

I laughed and shook my head, but I also nestled a little deeper into his magnificent chest. Because I was only human. And Oscar Drago? Well, Oscar Drago was starting to look like a gift I hadn’t known I wanted.

I rested my hand on his chest and my fingers froze when they brushed over something hard under his T-shirt.

He laughed again. “You can ask. I know you want to.”

“You have nipple piercings?” I asked, cursing my body for the flood of desire that rushed between my thighs.

“I have a lot of piercings.” His voice was suggestive, and my pussy clenched at the thought of Oscar Drago with a pierced dick.

I forced myself to breathe, grateful when he didn’t say anything else. I had the sense that the situation was getting away from me, that it was spinning into something I couldn’t control.

Attending Aventine with three douchebags who were very obviously the enemy?

That I could do.

Living with three thirst traps who were varying degrees of nice and sexy as fuck?

I was not prepared.

We lay like that for a while, the sound of the river and the forest around us calming me down and soothing my sadness about Emma.

And yeah, okay, the hot guy under me didn’t hurt either.

“It doesn’t fit,” I finally said.

“What doesn’t fit?” Drago asked.

“Your nickname.”

He lifted his head to look at me. “Oh yeah?”

I craned my neck to stare at his face. It was still a shock how gorgeous he was with those bottomless eyes and sculpted cheekbones, the full lips that made me want to lick his piercing and find the other one on his tongue.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. I really needed to stop.

“Oscar Drago,” I said softly. Names were good. Names were safe territory. “I’m just going to call you Oscar.”

He grinned. “You can call me whatever you want, tiger. Or, you know, scream it while we’re in bed.”

I smacked his chest, but the suggestion sent a fireball of heat to my pussy. “Down, boy.”

He stretched. “It’s all good. I’m a patient man… as long as I get there first.”

I sat up and stared with my mouth open, but I couldn’t help laughing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh come on, you have to know we’re all vying for your attention in the house. Well, Neo, Rock, and me anyway. The others better not fucking dare.”

I shook my head. “Not Neo.”

“Don’t be naive.” I didn’t have time to process that little firebomb before he sat up. “We should head back.”

Reluctance was heavy in his voice. I knew the feeling, but I got to my feet anyway. He was right. I needed to get ready for the ball and figure out how I was going to make my cotton maxi dress, meant for casual summer nights out, work for the formal kickoff to my school year at Aventine.

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